The present invention relates to bread slicing machines, and more particularly to a cleaner or scraper assembly for a band slicer.
Heretofore, various machines have been developed for slicing bread prior to packaging. These machines include high volume band slicers and lower volume, reciprocating slicers. Band slicers include a pair of spaced drums and a plurality of bands which extend around the drums. The bands are positioned to slice a plurality of bread loaves passing through the slicer. A lattice work is provided to set the slice thickness. A reciprocating slicer includes a plurality of separate, reciprocating blades. Reciprocating slicers are of lower capacity. They are typically used in smaller bakery facilities or with low volume products.
Problems can be encountered with slicing various breads. Nonvariety breads, such as white, wheat and rye breads, may be efficiently sliced on high capacity band slicers. With variety breads, such as onion breads, raisin breads and fruit and nut breads, particulates will build up on the bands. When these breads are sliced, a micro thin coating of sugar adheres to the blades. Starch will adhere to the sugar, resulting in particulate build up. The particulate matter will collect between the bands and the drums and stall the machine. Heretofore, standard high capacity band slicers could not be used to slice variety breads.
At least one attempt to overcome the particulate build up problems has been made. The attempted solution uses a water spray to clean the bands and drums. This washing operation suffers from inherent problems including mold growth. A spray arrangement, therefore, is not an acceptable solution. As a result of these problems, low capacity reciprocating slicers are used to slice variety breads. Such inherently limits production.
A need exists, therefore, for an apparatus which will permit use of a high capacity band slicer with variety breads and which will eliminate the problems heretofore experienced with particulate build up and mold growth.